In UP, Modi takes on Mulayam, says SP misleading people under veil of secularism

Modi asked SP chief Mulayam to explain as to why so many riots had taken place in UP. (PTI)

BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack against SP, BSP and Congress, saying they were misleading the people under the veil of secularism to hide their failures.

“Though heat of elections is yet to be felt, there is a wave in favour of BJP due to which “sabka vinash” (rout of SP, BSP and Congress) is certain….For them secularism is all about vote bank to mislead the people,” the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate told a massive rally here.

“They are misleading the people by wearing the veil of secularism to conceal their failures,” the Gujarat Chief Minister said.

Hitting out at the SP government on the issue of communal violence, Modi asked SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to explain as to why so many riots had taken place in Uttar Pradesh.

“In the past one year of your son’s (Akhilesh’s) rule, more than 150 riots have taken place in UP, while there was not even a single riot in Gujarat in the last 10 years. Not even a curfew was clamped there. Don’t compare Gujarat with UP on development,” he said.

Accusing SP, BSP and Congress was using seclarism as a poll slogan and a tool to grab power, Modi said that for BJP secularism was about uniting people and ensuring development.

“Secularism is article of faith for us. It is to unite people and do development….For them its a tool to grab power and an election slogan,” the BJP leader said.

Taking on the SP supremo, Modi claimed that Mulayam Yadav in his address in Allahabad had conceded defeat.

“Netaji (Mulayam) has conceded defeat in his address in the SP rally….by saying that he cannot compete with the crowd at my rally….By talking about development, Yadav has been forced (by us) to leave his old ways and come to this topic….

“I have been talking about politics of development for past 10 years and I am happy that he has also started talking about it,” Modi said.

He said instead of giving false facts about Gujarat, it would have been better if he (Mulayam) would have given an account of work done by him in UP.

“He is spreading lies about Gujarat….He should first visit Gujarat and see that electricity is available there 24 hours, 365 days while in UP there is no power. In UP, there is reservation as far as distribution of electricity is concerned. Areas of Netaji are getting power, while other places did not have power….,” he sai

On the law and order front, Modi alleged that “due to hooliganism of SP leaders, 45 crimes took place right under your (Mulayam’s) nose.

“There were over 20,000 cases of atrocities against women in UP alone….In Kanpur, medical students were manhandled by aides of an MLA and later lathicharged by the police and faced brutality by them due to which doctors in the entire state are agitating….

“The politics of hooliganism will not be tolerated anymore….These misdeeds say everything and I do not need to elaborate,” Modi said.

He said that there were two camps in Samajwadi Party – one ‘Samaj Virdohi Party’ and another ‘Sukhwadi Party, which is engaged in fun. Had Ram Manohar Lohia been here, he would had been pained, he said.
Alleging that nothing concrete was done to ensure develoment in UP, Modi said even traditional industries were not promoted due to which they became sick.

Attacking central ministers from UP without taking any names, the BJP leader alleged that “there is one who has ‘eaten coal’, while the name of another, who talks a lot in other countries, came up in connection with corruption through his NGO in the name of providing facilities to handicapped.

“Also, there is another who, defending his colleague, says he could not do corruption of Rs 70 lakhs and he would have believed the corruption allegation if amount had been Rs 70 crore,” he said.

Targeting UP Cabinet Minster Azam Khan on the buffalo theft issue, Modi said that here there is no news when someone’s son goes missing but the minister’s buffalo theft hogged media space due to “police activeness”.

“I was waiting for the minister’s reaction that due to the incident there is threat to secularism,” Modi said taking a jibe at the SP minister.

Striking an emotional chord with backward community by saying he came from a backward class, Modi maintained, “It was his party BJP, which named a person from backward community who had grown up in poverty by selling tea as a Prime Ministerial candidate”. No other party could do so, he said.

He said that the coming 10 years were crucial for the backward, dalits and poor and their lives would witness a change.

“I am going to sit as a watchman of Delhi’s coffer and no one’s ‘hand’ can reach there. Even those riding ‘cycle’ and ‘elephant’ will not be allowed to put their hand on it,” Modi said.

Wooing the minority community, Modi said, “These parties did not care when you raised problems of unemployment, irrigation, price rise, poverty or even admission of your kids in school….They say leave these issues as there is a threat to secularism to hide their failure.”

Giving figures of Haj applications from Gujarat, he said that though the quota was less there, applicants were more as compared to Uttar Pradesh as economic status of Muslims here was not good.

“The economic status of Muslims is not good here….They are not treated as humans but as a vote bank….and this has ruined them”, he said.